Patrice Pendarvis

As a child, Patrice enjoyed her days surrounded by the ocean in a wooded area of Southern California. A neighborhood artist recognized her interest in painting, exposed her to many mediums and stimulated her with backyard exhibits. She was encouraged and challenged by her high school art instructor, holding her first one-woman exhibit at age 15.

She credits the knowledge and experiences of painters she has had the pleasure to work under. Their professional abilities and guidance have enabled her to pursue a career as an artist and to acknowledge a love affair with the process of responding to the world through her painting.

A resident of Hawaii for 40 years, Patrice has captured Hawaii's charm, beauty and diverse subject matter through her art. On any given day you will find this exuberant artist equipped with supplies, documenting her world through sketches and paintings. Most recognized for her renditions of Hawaiian pictorial compositions and historical structures, her plein-air paintings of mainland and European locations are sought after as well.

Watercolor is her primary medium because of its sensitive spontaneous quality. Traditional transparent watercolor is one in which no opaque white pigment is used. All light tones depend on the white paper, unlike opaque mediums such as pastel and acrylic that can be manipulated. A watercolorist needs to be a visual master of light and embrace the mediums challenges. Patrice captures the essence of a chosen subject by generally painting on location, thus creating the visual excitement portrayed in her art. In the studio, she composes watercolors, rice paper collages, pastel or water-based oil paintings by adding her artistic license to her plein-air sketches as well as the technical reference of photographs. Recently she has expanded her artistic versatility by using kiln fired china paint to create her watercolor like images on porcelain and tile.

"My paintings are ultimately from nature. They are familiar but not exact. It is how I interpret my emotional response that invites my viewer to step into my paintings, to experience that fleeting moment in time. Love of my work is the mainspring that motivates me. I share with the world my appreciation for the environment and hope to raise my viewers' consciousness to appreciate and respect it. If I can enhance a persons life and stimulate an emotional response, I have succeeded with my creative efforts."

Patrice is the recipient of numerous awards and purchase prizes. Her work has been selected for magazine covers and featured articles. She is a life member in the Hawaii Watercolor Society, Kauai Society of Artists, Kaua'i and Hawaii Plein Air Artist Group and a "Kaua'i Made" member. She has held 18 one-woman exhibitions and has shown in 32 juried and 24 group exhibits. Her work is included in many private and corporate collections such as American West DEX, Bank of Hawaii, Commonwealth Financial, First Hawaiian Bank, Gibson Co., Hanalei Bay Resort, Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawaii Visitors Bureau, Hyatt Hotels, IBM, Kauai County, Lincoln Life Ins., Nabisco Co, Hotels, and the Princeville Resort.